Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1887-03-16
WOMAN SUFFRAGE.

Senator Vest, in the u. s. Senate,
not long since spoke against giving to
females the right to vote at general
elections, and these are his eloquent
words:
Il pity the man who can consider
any question affecting the influence of
woman with the cold, dry logic of bus
mess. What man can, without aver
sion, turn from the blessed memory of
that dear old grandmother, of the gen
tie words and carreSsing hand of that
blessed mother, gone to the unknown
world, to face IN It's stead the idea of a
female justice Of the peace, or town
ship constable? For my part l want
when 90 to my hOme-when l return
from the arena where man contends
with man for what we call the prizes
of this paltry world want TO go back
not 10 be received in the masculine
embrace Of some female ward polIti-
clan, but to the earnest loving look
and touch of Il true woman. l want
TO go back to the jurisdiction or the
wife and mother. and instead of lee
lure on finance or the constitution,
want those blessed, loving details of
domestic Life and domestic love.
inconvenience to arise from female
suffrage. | care not whether the moth
er Is called upon TO decide, as jury
man or JurywOmen, rights of property
or rights of life, while her baby is NEW
ling and puklng at home. There are
other considerations more important,
AMI one of them To my mind is lnSuper-
able. speak now regarding woman
as a sex. believe they are better than
men, but do not believe that they are
adapted TO the political work of this
world. | do not believe the Great In
telllGence ever intended them to invade
the spheres of work given To men, tear
ing down and destroying all the best
Influences for which God has intended
them"
The great evil Of this country to-
day IL i'll emotional suffrage. The
great danger TO day is in eXcitable suf-
frage. III the voters of this country
could think always coOlly. and if they
could deliberate, and if they could go
bY Judgment and not by passion, our
institutions would survive forever,
eternal as the foundations of tine con-
tlnent itself but massed together. sub
Ject TO the eXcltementS of mObS and
these terrible political contests that
come upon us year by year, under the
autonomy OF the government, what
would be the result if suffrage were
giver TO the women of the United
states Women are essentially emo
uOna. Ii Is no Encouragement TO them
that they are so. 1t is no more insult
ing TO say that woman are emotional
than To say they are deIicately con-
structed physically, and united to be-
come soldiers or wOrkmen under the
sterner, harder pursuits of life. What
we want In this country is TO avoid
emotional suffrage, and what we need
is, to put more logic into the public
affairs and less feeling. There are
! spheres in which feeling should be
paramount. There are Kingdoms in
which the heart should reign women
the realm of sentiment, the realm of
love, the realm of the gentler and the
holier and the kindlier attributes that
make tie name of wife. mother and
sister next 10 that of God himself. I
would not IL say it deliberately de-
grade women by giving her the right of
suffrage, l mean the word in its full
signhcation, because l believe that
woman as. she is to-day, queen of home
and of hearts, is above the political col
lisions of this world, and should al.
ways be Kept above them"